Lesson 42: Frequency Words: Always, Often, Sometimes, Never

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to say how often you do something in German. These words help you talk about habits, routines, school, work, hobbies, and daily life.

What you’ll learn

• how to say always, often, sometimes, and never
• how to use frequency words in simple sentences
• where frequency words usually go in German
• how to talk about habits and routines more naturally

Useful frequency words

Here are the main words for this lesson:

These words help you say how often something happens.

Simple examples

You already know many daily routine sentences. Now you can add frequency words.

Ich lerne Deutsch.
I study German.

Ich lerne immer Deutsch.
I always study German.

Ich lerne oft Deutsch.
I often study German.

Ich lerne manchmal Deutsch.
I sometimes study German.

Ich lerne nie Deutsch.
I never study German.

The sentence becomes more specific when you add a frequency word.

The easiest pattern

For beginners, start with this pattern:

Ich + verb + frequency word + more information

Examples:

Ich lerne oft Deutsch.
I often study German.

Ich trinke manchmal Kaffee.
I sometimes drink coffee.

Ich lese selten ein Buch.
I rarely read a book.

Ich sehe nie fern.
I never watch TV.

This pattern is useful because it keeps the sentence simple.

A small grammar point: where the frequency word goes

In many simple German sentences, the frequency word comes after the verb.

Examples:

Ich lerne oft Deutsch.
Ich trinke manchmal Tee.
Ich lese selten.
Ich schlafe nie um 22 Uhr.

So for now, remember:

subject + verb + frequency word

Examples:

Ich lerne oft.
Du arbeitest manchmal.
Er kocht selten.
Wir spielen nie.

Using frequency words with time phrases

You can also use frequency words with time phrases.

Examples:

Ich lerne oft am Abend.
I often study in the evening.

Ich frühstücke immer am Morgen.
I always eat breakfast in the morning.

Ich kaufe manchmal am Samstag ein.
I sometimes go shopping on Saturday.

Ich sehe selten am Abend fern.
I rarely watch TV in the evening.

These sentences help you talk about real habits.

A note about jeden Tag

jeden Tag means every day.

Examples:

Ich lerne jeden Tag Deutsch.
I study German every day.

Ich trinke jeden Tag Kaffee.
I drink coffee every day.

Ich lese jeden Tag.
I read every day.

This phrase is very useful for routines.

Frequency words with separable verbs

You already learned that separable verbs split in a sentence.

Examples:

aufstehen = to get up
einkaufen = to go shopping
fernsehen = to watch TV

The separable part still goes at the end.

Examples:

Ich stehe immer um sieben Uhr auf.
I always get up at seven o’clock.

Ich kaufe manchmal am Samstag ein.
I sometimes go shopping on Saturday.

Ich sehe selten fern.
I rarely watch TV.

Ich sehe nie fern.
I never watch TV.

The frequency word comes after the main verb, but the separable part still stays at the end.

Compare the sentences

Asking how often

A useful question is:

Wie oft … ?
How often … ?

Examples:

Wie oft lernst du Deutsch?
How often do you study German?

Wie oft trinkst du Kaffee?
How often do you drink coffee?

Wie oft siehst du fern?
How often do you watch TV?

Simple answers:

Ich lerne jeden Tag Deutsch.
I study German every day.

Ich trinke manchmal Kaffee.
I sometimes drink coffee.

Ich sehe selten fern.
I rarely watch TV.

Fill-in-the-blank sentences